Here is a piece I am working on for my holiday card, this year. I'm nearly done. I just need to clean it up a bit and add the text at the bottom. Working and finished size is 4.25"x6". The process is included here, along with one of my reference shots.
Wow-------this is sooooo great! Nice change of pace, but still JDR!!!!
ReplyDeleteCan I tell you one of my all-time biggest peeves ever, though? (Meant in a friendly way) .......Snowflakes that do not have 6 sides. *Unless, are those sparkles? Or stars? Just sayin'.
Seriously, awesome! ;~)
Nice work, Justin!
ReplyDeleteI love seeing all the stages. It looks like you went back and forth on the eye. The final stage looks great.
Paula - This is the kind of stuff I really enjoy doing. I'm a sucker for anthropomorphic animals and faerie-tales. This was an experiment with a new technique inspired by the new guy at the group last week, Nick. He had mentioned something about some powdered graphite techniques used by a particular medical illustratour and sent me some links. I've had a jar of powdered graphite since high school and never used it. So I tried it out and worked using a reductive technique. It was a lot of fun and was the perfect way to express an idea for the background I'd had in my head since last week. It worked out really well. It was a kind of evolution from some other work I'd been doing for another project where I was laying down ink washes to get a similar tonal effect. The graphite was a lot more fun and gave me leeway to work in a more atmospheric way. As for the snowflakes, they are supposed to be six sided, aren't they? I'll tweak the flakes to be accurate (they are supposed to be flakes).
ReplyDeleteChuck - Thank you :) I love showing the process work from drawings. The process is one of my favourite things about doing art. The eye was kind of an evolution, too. Mouse eyes are large in comparison to their faces. I just made it bigger as one of the last decisions I made about the mouse's appearance. It makes him seem more innocent, which is something I wished to capture.
I think in a picture where a mouse dresses up like Santa, sits in the snow without getting cold, and smokes a pipe without getting cancer, six -sided snowflakes are permissible. :-)
ReplyDeleteIt was, first of all, good to meet you at lunch today. Awesome to see this piece in person as well.
ReplyDeleteI really love how the smoke curves up to frame the composition. I've always had trouble with wrinkles in clothing and I think you do it well. I will be learning from you. :)
Adam - It was good to meet you, too. Great conversation, today, with everyone. Thanks for sharing the Moo site information. I love that look. I may use them. As far as fabric goes, good reference can take you far. I also draw it a lot. I do quick studies, more finished renderings, and I also look and take photos.
ReplyDeletePaula - As I was waiting for the bus, today, I held up my glove and let the huge snow flakes land on it. You're right. I'll be changing that about this image. I saw so many wonderful designs with various value structures and shapes. I'm really excited to dive back in :) Thank you for pointing that out.
I really liked seeing the orignal today. I must say, the snowflakes did not bother me. It is fantasy, I just assumed it was an 8-sided flake universe ;)
ReplyDeleteAdam, reference is key. I have a lot of friends who model for my paintings. It makes a world of difference.
Typo! —I meant "eight-sided snowflakes are permissible".
ReplyDeleteBut if you like drawing flakes, by all means, go for six.
Thanks, guys :) I'm going to make the snowflakes right. It will bother me if I don't.
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